This story is my retelling of FFXV main game, with many tweaks and changes to give every character a chance to shine, my favorite pairing the chance to live and interact for more than a simple exchange of smile. I want to offer them character development and a large amount of fluff.

Couples: Noctis x Lunafreya is the main pairing, but we also have Ignis x Aranea (starting from chapter 15 and onward), Prompto x Cindy (it's a bumpy ride for these two) and a few more that I can't name right now for the sake of new comers.

Style: Romance/Adventure/Drama

Length: From 100 to 120 chapters. About time I updated that part.

Rating: T for teen, because of violence, serious angst and shameless fluff/potential smut in further chapters. Notice that the first two are already in the original game!

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Unexpected

Chapter 1 – No home to go back

Noctis was worried about something. Ignis had an inkling of a doubt as the four men ran into the night. Killing time as the Regalia was getting fixed had meant drifting pretty much aimlessly around Hammerhead. After waking up in the middle of the night from a nightmare, Noctis had exited their camp and rushed ahead without a word of warning. Gladio had woken up Prompto while Ignis took his daggers out, rushing after their prince. The young man might have incredible powers, he was still a mortal and needed as much protection as he could get.

"Come on man, the roads are dangerous at this hour and my feet are killing me!" Prompto whined.

"Don't be so loud, you'll attract some monsters' attention," Gladiolus warned the ex-citizen of Insomnia.

Ignis jogged ahead of them, catching up with Noctis, who was slowly finding his way back toward the crown-city.

"Is something on your mind, Noct?" he inquired, lowering his voice to a whisper.

"I… I don't know," Noctis admitted. "I simply need some exercise. Blame all the fast-food we've been eating lately."

Kenny's dinner was not the healthiest eating option, but the food chain was all over Lucis, and the meals it offered were pretty cheap. Ignis saw right through the lie and would have insisted if his prince hadn't warped ahead, vanishing in a blur of blue, leaving glimpses of after-images in his wake.

Noctis didn't give any power or importance to his dreams usually, but this night he felt something far more distressing than his usual sort of nightmares. The engagement with Luna for the treaty had been rushed, his father had been in a hurry to send him out, the guards around the castle were more restless than usual… And in his dreams, he'd felt helpless and more alone than he ever did, not even when he had realized he would never know his mom or when Regis had saved him from Tenebrae… Or the thought of Luna left behind, in the hands of the empire for all these years.

He repeated to himself he wasn't going back on his words. He was simply making sure everything looked alright at home. The entire country might be his home, but he had never been away from Insomnia all on his own. Facing monsters left and right reminded him of the Naga encounter that almost killed him as a child. His nightmare had been vivid and awful. His father was eaten alive by the human-faced snake. Limbs after limbs. He could still hear the crunching and cracking noises in his mind.

He knew better than to act out on a nightmare when he was half asleep, but couldn't bother with prudence. Especially since the night sky was so filled with clouds he couldn't even see the lights of Insomnia, although his map was telling him that his city was getting closer and closer. Gladiolus complained about his carelessness and suggested they'd sleep through a part of the day if he really wanted to stay up all night. Noctis felt bad for his friends. He had no idea what he was doing right now. He should have been off in dreamland, or just worrying about seeing Luna in Altissia after all those years. As if thinking of her brought her out in the open, he noticed a flash of white among the stones and warped forward to get a better look. A shuffling of feet on the ground confirmed that his friends and himself weren't alone in the dead of the night. He ran around the rock, provoking a panicked gasp before his flashlight fell on the runaway.

Lunafreya Nox Fleuret was standing in front of him, her white dress adorning a ripped-off sleeve. The fabric was coated with dirt and even blood. Her left arm bled from a wide gash and her bare feet were bloodied. She'd given up on her shoes along the way. Her hair was almost entirely out of her bun and she blinked at him, clearly surprised to see him. It was nothing like his own surprise, but he still recognized her from the photo she'd send him last year in their shared notebook. His heart missed a beat.

"Luna?"

"Noctis?" she asked back, bewildered.

The next question was a mix of both their ragged voices, his from the running, hers from the sheer exhaustion.

"Why aren't you in Altissia?!"

As the rest of the prince's entourage caught up with them, the surprise turned to wild shock.

"Lady Lunafreya?!" Prompto exclaimed.

"How…!"

"What…?!"

The Oracle leaned her back against the rock, keeping her distances, her shoulders starting to shake.

"This is not how we should be meeting," she whispered, her eyes fixed on Noctis.

"But somehow you're here and you're hurt. What happened? Who did this to you?!"

Prompto was surprised to hear a strange sense of possessiveness beneath the anger of his prince. He'd never entirely gauged what Noctis felt about Lady Luna. She was a dear friend, of course, but ever since the announcement of their wedding, Noct had been reluctant to talk about her or even his feelings over the matter. Not that the man was ever talkative over his feelings. Kings and princes weren't supposed to act as openly as any citizen did.

Luna took a step toward her betrothed, reaching out for his hands, trying to relax her stance. As she moved, Noctis spotted the splatter of blood on her neck and another gash on her right tight. He gritted his teeth, looking even angrier while Ignis took out a potion from his shirt pocket.

"I can't deliver this kind of news, Noctis. Not now."

She was trembling with her entire body and the prince's heart filled up with dread. What news could she be afraid of telling, when she had always been the mature one? She was always cool-headed and sure of herself in her letters, nothing he didn't expect from the chosen of the gods. Instinct took over shyness as he broke the distance between them. He wrapped his arms around her, feeling her skin burning up beneath his fingers. She blinked and tears welled up in her eyes. He wanted to kill whatever had hurt her but he needed answers from her. She gripped onto his coat, shivering as she tried to stand straighter. She seemed too small, nothing like the girl always gently gazing down at him from his memories. And yet, she felt just as strong, despite the tears and the dirt on her face.

"Luna, you're…"

"We should find a camp and treat the lady," Ignis observed.

"I don't need…" she tried to protest, although her legs were barely supporting her own weight.

Noctis lifted her in his arms, refusing to hear any of her objections. Gladiolus took upon himself to locate the closest campsite and the four men hurried to their new destination. Ignis convinced the prince to refrain from questioning her until after she was healed. The night felt quiet but among the clouds in their back, there were a few that had nothing natural and somehow, Noctis understood that his nightmare might be only be the prelude of something far, far worse.

Reaching camp was the easy part. Gathering around Lady Lunafreya and examining her wounds was an awkward process. Prompto felt out of place and remained in the back, making sure their potions, first-aid kits and bandages were at the ready, while Gladiolus focused on setting up the tent and creating a new one for the young woman. Noctis was furious that his car wasn't fixed already. She needed to sleep in a real bed, not on some makeshift cot right upon the hard ground. Ignis disinfected her gashes, sewed her up where needed and bandaged her with the assistance of Noctis. Somewhere along the treatment, Luna lost consciousness. Her skin was blotched in angry reds beneath the dirt and paleness.

"She's still suffering a great deal," Ignis deplored. "This is far beyond my capabilities."

Noctis gritted his teeth, slowly getting up from the uncomfortable crouched position he'd been in. He felt even more restless than before. What was Luna doing in Lucis? Why would the empire let her out of their sight? Unless..?!

He started pacing around while Gladiolus and Ignis exchanged a knowing look. Prompto voiced his concern.

"Will Lady Luna be okay? She just needs some rest and premium treatment, right, Iggy?"

Their self-imposed driver pushed his glasses higher on his nose, the lens throwing glittering reflects into the night. He didn't answer, unable to give a response that would be satisfactory to him. Noctis kept glancing back in the direction of the capital.

"How far are we from Insomnia?" he asked suddenly.

"Pretty far for her making that trek on foot," Gladiolus replied.

"She's stubborn. Do you think she could have been running from the Nifs?"

"If that's the case, she's crossed an ocean… and since you can't fly yourself, I don't see how…"

Noctis interrupted his oldest bodyguard, growing even more on edge.

"Her wounds were recent. She would never get attacked in Lucis, the entire country was happy about the wedding…"

"…which means that whatever did this to her was here, but either wasn't human or Lucian," Ignis finished for him.

Luna whined slightly in her sleep.

"We should get her as comfortable as possible for the rest of the night instead of worrying about what she'll explain to us in the morning, Noct," Gladiolus determined. "I can carry her if…"

"It's fine."

When the prince disappeared in the smaller tent, managing to carry his fiancée without waking her, his three friends exchanged worried looks.

"This can't mean anything good for us," Gladio sighed.

"But what kind of bad?" Prompto insisted, mindlessly drumming the ground with his fingers, needing to keep himself somehow occupied.

"The worst kind of bad, I'm afraid."

…

Noctis gently laid his princess down, a hundred questions on his mind. He had never worried about his father. He knew they had a lot more responsibilities than most people. He knew the fate of the kingdom would one day fall on his shoulders. But looking at Luna, seeing her bruised and bloodied… He hadn't been sure he was ready to meet with her. She'd been writing for so many years, but her face, her hair, it was all the things he remembered as a child. Not this grown-up version. Although it was still her. His hand instinctively reached for her. Wiping off the sweat on her forehead. She shivered. Her hair felt damp beneath his fingers. Her fever was getting worse.

"If only I knew what happened to you, maybe I could fix it," He sighed.

He put a single sheet on her, gently replacing a strand of hair behind one ear. He tried remembering what his father or Ignis would do when he'd get sick. Luna's eyes flickered open. Her voice was dry and raw, but she smiled.

"You're really here," she marvelled. "It wasn't a dream."

His heart felt warmer just from her smile.

"We're both here, Luna."

She tried sitting up, only to feel his hands on her shoulders. He didn't know if he should hold her or let her sleep. He had no idea what was right between them. He couldn't chase away the thought he had never properly walked next to her, always depending on her to push his wheeled chair.

"You need some rest."

"I missed you, Noctis."

Her hand reached up to his face and he saw new tears in her eyes. Tears that weren't only from missing him.

"I missed you to," he whispered back, holding her hand in place for an instant, before to stroke her forearm.

They'd held hands back then. He wanted their fingers to link and entwine. He wanted her tears to be gone.

"You've grown..."

She seemed just as lost as him.

"Luna, can you tell me…?"

Her smiled fell upside down, but her hand found his, squeezing his palm.

"The treaty was supposed to be signed last night," she started, her expression turning colder. "Your father knew of the trap and fought back…"

Dread filled his mind, making the next words harder to process.

"I wish I could have done more, but the crown city…" Luna's eyes wavered. "The king's glaives …"

"My old man? What about my old man fighting? His wound's not even healed yet!"

She shuddered at the memory and Noctis felt ready to run back home right this instant. He knew his father's last wound would never fully heal. He knew because Regis wasn't getting any younger, but…

"You mustn't go there yet, Noctis! You would fall right into their hands. Lucis needs a king to protect it."

No, that couldn't be right. His king, his father, his family…

"That can't…"

She fought to sit up next to him, wanting to give him some sort of comfort. He wrapped one arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. He needed to make sure she was there. That she was real. That this wasn't another horrible nightmare he would wake up from. But she felt real. And so was the pain coming with the idea his father could be…

"I'm so sorry," she sighed.

"What the hell happened, Luna?"

His breathing quickened and his heart was beating too fast. She felt warm and soft. Foreign and familiar all at the same time.

"I…" Luna's voice broke down, a strangled sob escaping her lips.

Her shivers were getting stronger. She needed to heal before going through whatever had happened in Insomnia again. He didn't want to know anymore. He wouldn't accept it. At least not tonight. His nightmare felt like an awful premonition now.

"You're here, Luna. At least you're here. I'll keep you safe," he promised in her damp hair.

Her arms wrapped around him, too hot for comfort. He needed her to get better first. He couldn't break down when she was in this state. A prince never broke down. Not at his age. But a king shouldn't die from a single attack on his kingdom. Not when the king was his father.

To be continued…

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I need a lot of Noctis/Luna interactions and it's one of the main goal of this story.

Note of warning: My fics always involve massive spoilers. Like the entire content of the game. In this case, I won't be following the entire story. I'm skipping places, I'm skipping happenstances, since I changed a major thing in it. But Leviathan will still show up and shit will still happen. The heavy kind.

On a different subject, I'm a French writer first. Any mistakes can be blamed on it, but I've been writing in English for a long time, so feel free to point out any sort of mistake I do. I'd rather improve. I'm currently editing the chapters to try and remove the biggest mistakes regarding grammar, since I've learned quite a bit in the last year I spent writing this story.

The update time is between one chapter a week and one chapter every two week. I can't promise anything, being a full-time university student. I work on my endless thesis and run a dozen different research projects at the same time. Multitasking is close to my life motto.

On a side note, reviews help with my motivation greatly. They're the best way to show support in my work. Thank you for taking the time to check out my story. I hope you'll like it as much as I have fun working on it.